


you come through like a light

by starboykeith



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Coda, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, season 5
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-05-03 01:03:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14557476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starboykeith/pseuds/starboykeith
Summary: A glimmer of an apology.





	you come through like a light

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this in march straight after i watched s5 but never got round to posting it, so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> title from nitesky by robert koch

“I cannot help but feel guilty,” Allura says. “You, who have studied Oriande for centuries, who believed in its existence when precious few even remembered the folktales – and I.” She glances down. “I who dismissed the tales, who assumed my father’s knowledge was unattainable – I received the gift.”

She steps forward somewhat impulsively and Lotor almost flinches out of instinct, stopping himself at the last second as Allura takes his hands in her own. 

It is true that Lotor is frustrated, angry, achingly disappointed. Centuries of study; passion poured into a project that his father relentlessly belittled him for – and all of it to be denied walking with the gods. A life’s worth of work, and all Lotor has to his name is the mantle of _Emperor_ , a title he hates and had hoped would be extinguished centuries ago. 

But Allura – there is something special about her. Lotor, half-breed that he is, cannot imagine the agony of being one of two remaining Alteans – he does not count the witch, whose spirit has long been corrupted – cannot empathise with Allura’s loss, or her endurance and determination to keep going. 

If only two should have succeeded, Lotor thinks, it is right that it was Allura and her father before her. 

“Do not be sorry, Princess,” Lotor says carefully. He looks at Allura’s small hands folded over his own, and squeezes them gently. “You deserved it more than anyone else possibly could.”

He thinks again on how his mind had leapt to violence, how a hand on his sword had steadied him as the white lion advanced, and feels an inexplicable shame that clings to him like cobwebs. _Victory or death_ , he had shouted; a remnant of his upbringing, a remnant of _Zarkon_. It disgusts him. 

Allura had told Coran how she had dodged the lion’s attacks, had pleaded for an end to the brutality, had fallen to her knees in the presence of greatness. 

Lotor looks into her eyes, and they no longer hold the shadow of doubt or loathing for the race that had destroyed her own. It had hurt to look at her when he was a prisoner; hurt to remember that whatever he did, Lotor was still just Zarkon’s son. 

He sees none of that now. 

There is trust, and hope, and the glimmer of an apology as Allura tries to offer Lotor something that is not his to take, and it leaves a warm feeling in his stomach. 

He brings one hand to Allura’s cheek, and thinks he sees the beginnings of a blush.

“Thank you,” Lotor says. He himself cannot recall how many things he is grateful to Allura for, but it doesn’t seem to matter when he can make Allura smile like this. 

“And you,” she says. “I am grateful to you, as well.”

**Author's Note:**

> the first and only f/m fic i will ever write? probably
> 
> please leave a comment if you enjoyed, and you can find me on twitter at twitter.com/starboysheith and tumblr at starboykeith.tumblr.com !


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